







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | |
| Is that what you want me to do? | |
| I was just joking, how are you? | |
| Hello guys, is it possible to make a little less noise? | |
| Do you like them with or without the skin on? | |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | |
| Nothing, 'cause I don't know what the woman looks like. | |
| 50% of 135 is 67.50... And it comes to totally 202.50. | |
| I go out sometimes with the girls from school. | |
| I have an appointment with the home office for my visa extension. | |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | |
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | |
| Yeah, it is very important for me, actually. | |
| I hope they are going to be here on time, too... I don't like waiting. | |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | |
| And secondly, vets are so expensive! | |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | |